The Fully-Funded PhD Programme offered by The
Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) is aimed at
exceptional graduate students from all over the world, to support
their enrolment in a training and research programme in the field
of chemistry, ultimately leading to the completion of a Doctoral
Thesis in partnership with the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV).
The programme will also contribute to their professional career
development, in the fields of academia and industry. This objective
is achieved by: The performance of an individual research project
under the direction of an internationally renowned Group Leader, in
a creative and stimulating scientific environment. Opportunities
for short stays in distinguished international research
institutions. Opportunities for complementary training in both
technical and soft skills. The educational framework is designed to
ensure a successful career: scientific seminars , hands-on training
in the use of state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation, IP
management, entrepreneurship, research integrity, knowledge and
technology transfer, grant applications, project management,
communication skills and career development. ICIQ offers a yearly
personalized training programme for PhD students, SHARP, which
takes place during the course of 2 weeks, with training focused on
their given PhD year. The programme is addressed to highly
qualified and talented graduate students with a keen interest in
chemical research. Candidates should have an excellent academic
record, strong commitment to scientific research and a solid
working knowledge of English. Admission to the programme is on a
competitive basis. I. Available positions: See Annex II.
Application process The entire application process will be
completed online. Applicants must apply by accessing ICIQ’s Career
Portal. Applications sent by email or any other means will not be
eligible. Only one application per person will be considered . In
case of multiple applications, only the first application submitted
will be taken into consideration. After completing the online form,
applicants must attach the following documents: 1) Required
documentation a. A full Curriculum Vitae (in PDF format). It should
include the academic background, work or research experience,
publications, conferences, grants and awards, previous
participation in ICIQ programmes, other relevant merits and
references. b. A personal statement that describes the applicant’s
academic background, research experience and career goals (maximum
two DIN A4 pages, in PDF format). This is a very important section
of the application process. The candidate must be able to
communicate their interests and how these would align with ICIQ and
a PhD training. Candidates should also mention the research group
where they would like to carry out their PhD, and the reasons why
they are interested in a particular group leader and their research
project. c. Official transcripts of BSc and MSc studies in PDF
format. A scanned copy of the certified academic record of the
studies granting access to the PhD programme (BSc and MSc if
available). In case that the MSc studies have not yet been
completed at the time of the application, candidates must include
details on the subjects in which they are currently enrolled




(subject name and number of credits). For academic records not
issued in Catalan, Spanish or English, a certified translation in
English should be provided; otherwise, applications which do not
include a certified translation of the academic record will be
non-eligible and, therefore, not taken into consideration. For
degrees obtained in foreign institutions, the academic record must
include the range of marks used in the corresponding countries and
the minimum mark to pass, as well as the hours or ECTS and marks
for each subject. d. Contact details for letters of recommendation
of two University professors or other relevant individuals who can
assess the candidate’s potential for research. ICIQ will contact
the people listed as references only in the event that a candidate
is shortlisted. We suggest informing your references. e. English
proficiency level : Applicants must provide evidence of their
proficiency in written and oral communication in the English
language. Preferably, by the submission of a B2 certificate, First
Certificate, IELTS 6 or equivalent. This certificate is not
mandatory but desirable, and alternatively late stage candidates
will be interviewed to assess their English level. Applicants from
Anglosphere (UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand)
are exempt from this requirement. Please note that documents sent
in hard copy cannot be processed. Applicants should select only ONE
PhD supervisor. Once the application has been successfully
completed, an acknowledgement e-mail will be automatically sent.
Candidates must ensure that all the required documentation is
included before submitting the application. Incomplete applications
will not be considered . III. Eligibility and evaluation criteria
The programme is open to graduate students, from any nationality
that fulfil the following eligibility criteria : Candidates must
have a Master’s or an equivalent degree in the areas of Chemistry,
Pharmacy, Physics, Chemical Engineering or related disciplines that
must be completed by the time of enrolment in the PhD programme.
When in doubt regarding the eligibility criteria, applicants should
contact ICIQ’s Human Resources unit at [email protected] prior to
submission of the application. Candidates who fulfil the
eligibility criteria will be evaluated according to the following
evaluation criteria : Curriculum vitae. Personal statement.
Academic marks. English level. Personal interview for short-listed
candidates. IV. Evaluation and Selection Process The evaluation and
selection of the candidates will be performed by the project
supervisor supported by the Human Resources unit team, and
following the below procedure: Submitted applications will be
checked for eligibility and those not fulfilling all the criteria
will be rejected. It won’t be possible to modify the application or
to add missing documentation after the application has been
submitted.



The selection will be based on the evaluation criteria
described in Section III. At the late stages of the selection
process, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for a
personal interview. All applicants will be notified of the final
selection decision by the end of March 2026. Successful candidates
will be requested to inform ICIQ whether they accept or decline the
offer within five business days after being notified. The offer
will be considered declined in the event that the applicant does
not respond during this time. ICIQ follows in its selection process
a gender equality opportunity policy and a non-discrimination
policy on the basis of age, ethnic or social origin, religion or
belief, sexual orientation, language and disability. ICIQ is
committed to promoting a work-life balance for its employees and,
as such, offers adaptable working hours. V. Grant Conditions The
awardees of an ICIQ Fully-Funded PhD position will be considered
research personnel in training and they will have an employment
contract (a pre-doctoral contract) which is regulated in the
Spanish Law 14/2011, of June 1st, of Science, Technology and
Education. Pre-doctoral contracts are renewed annually for up to 4
years. Renewal is subject to satisfactory performance in the PhD
studies and related research activities. The gross yearly salary of
the contract shall be split into 12 monthly payments and
distributed as shown below: First and Second year of PhD:
19.007,22€ /year Third year of PhD: 20.364,88€ /year Fourth year of
PhD: 25.456,10€ /year The fellowship includes full social security
coverage through the Spanish Social Security system, providing
access to the Spanish public health care system and pension and
unemployment benefits. The grant holder is entitled to temporarily
interrupt the fellowship in the following situations: temporary
disability, risk during pregnancy, maternity, paternity and
adoption or foster care. The time elapsed during this interruption
will not be accounted for against the total time. The contract will
take effect on the date when the awarded student joins the centre.
The Fully-Funded PhD includes the costs of enrolment in the PhD
programme. These costs will be paid by each beneficiary to the
university, and later they will be refunded by ICIQ. The PhD thesis
has to be completed within 4 years. The PhD awardees will work
full-time at ICIQ and may not receive any other fellowship or
regular income. The Fully-Funded PhD position is incompatible with
any other fellowship with the same purpose. Calendar Call opening:
February 2nd 2026 Call deadline: March 8th 2026 Notification to
candidates: As from March 24th 2026 Start of fellowships:: Fall
2026 Annex 1: Available positions Supervisor: Marcos García Suero
Project Title: Single-Atom Skeletal Editing to Impact Drug
Discovery and Chemical Biology. Number of positions: 1 Reference:
PhD 2026-01 MG Supervisor: Núria López Project Title: Modeling
Electrochemical Interfaces Number of positions: 1 Reference: PhD
2026-02 NL Supervisor: Núria López Project Title: Agentic models in
Heterogeneous Catalysis Number of positions: 1 Reference: PhD
2026-03 NL Supervisor: Julio Lloret-Fillol Project Title: AI-driven
robotics for catalyst development Number of positions: 1 Reference:
PhD 2026-04 JLL

📌 ICIQ FULLY-FUNDED PhD PROGRAMME 2026 – FIRST CALL (Cataluña)
🏢 ICIQ
📍 Cataluña